28 thrifty real estate tips for upgrading your bathroom

Got money? Chances are you have just enough to get by, but not much in the way of extra discretionary income thanks to the nearly-stagnant economy.
So what are you, as a homeowner, to do when you want to update your drab bathroom, yet don’t have much you can spend?
Fortunately, we at Movoto have 28 inexpensive upgrades you can use to renovate your bathroom. From installing a display rail or painting the room a new color to putting in new lighting or even carving out a wall niche, just about every person can find real estate tips on this list that will fit their budget and personal style.
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
1. Make Accents Match. Coordinate things like outlet covers to other larger, more notable items like a medicine cabinet. Cost: ~$200 for a recessed medicine cabinet and 2 outlet covers.
2. Create a Tile Countertop. It’s water-resistant, easy to put together yourself, and it’s cheap. Cost: ~$8 per square foot for 4-inch tile.
3. Reglaze Old Fixtures. Buying a new tub and sink could be up to $2,000. Reglazing costs a fraction of that. Cost: ~$800 for professional reglazing.
4. Paint (or Repaint) the Floor. Mix glossy porch paint with a tint that will match your bathroom. Cost: ~$49 per gallon for tinted latex enamel paint.
5. Recover a Salvaged Coat Rack. Turn an antique coat rack into a towel rack by coating it in clear polyurethane and placing it within reach of the shower. Cost: ~$30 for a flea-market coat rack.
6. Create Your Own Wallpaper. Transform an old comic book into wallpaper. Just apply wallpaper paste to the back of the pages, stick them to the wall, then coat them in clear top coat. Cost: ~$39 for adhesive (gallon) and finish (quart).
7. Put in a Salvaged Sliding Door. This is a great option for a bathroom lacking enough space for a hinged door. Cost: ~$300 for door from columbusarchitecturalsalvage.com.
8. Devise a Unique Tub Surround. Acquire some corrugated, galvanized-steel roof paneling and attach it to one side of a drop-in tub for a rustic and rust-proof tub surround. Cost: ~$18 for 12-by-12-foot sheet from homedepot.com.
9. Revive Your Tile. Acid etcher can brighten up an unglazed, vintage tile floor by removing ground-in dirt from the grout and tile surface. Cost: ~$7 per gallon of acid etcher.
10. Match the Walls to the Floor. Repaint the walls to match with the floor’s color to add harmony. Cost: ~$43 per gallon for mildew-resistant bath paint.
For the remaining 18 ways to update your bathroom, check out the original article, which includes ideas such as framing a wall mirror, installing louvered interior shutters, putting fabric Roman shades on your windows, and much more. Hopefully you’ll find something that tickles your fancy without taking too much out of your wallet!

———————–

Stephanie Huskey is the resident real estate blogger for Movoto and likes a number of these ideas (although that tub surround leaves something to be desired). Interested in getting her advice on your blog? She’s currently seeking guest blogging opportunities so she can share her knowledge with new communities! You can find her over here at Elance.com.